Finland's environmental regulator has ordered Google's Finnish subsidiary to stop heavy preparation work at two planned data center sites, in Muhos and Kajaani, after large areas of forest were cleared before the required environmental impact assessments were finished. The order came on October 6. Google says work at both sites has stopped, and the company sent its written explanation to the regulator on October 11. The assessments are expected to finish during 2026.

We should be clear about one thing first. The sites aren't a designated wildlife refuge or nature reserve, and none of the reports we read name a protected area or a particular species. The dispute is about forest land, some of which a Finnish conservation group says included nature sites that should have been kept.

What happened

The Finnish Licensing and Supervision Agency (LVV) says work had already changed both sites. According to Helsinki Times, that included clearing trees, stripping topsoil, building roads and storage areas, and changing ditches, culverts and stormwater systems.

The order tells Tuike Finland, the Google subsidiary behind the projects, to stop anything that significantly alters the environment: tree removal, excavation, blasting, crushing, moving soil, drainage and road building. It had to stop immediately and no later than October 23. Planning, measuring, soil surveys and other low-impact work can go on. Tuike was given until October 14 to explain itself in writing. If it doesn't comply, the LVV says it can use administrative enforcement, which could include a conditional fine.

"Our assessment is that these measures change the environment and cause impacts," Tommi Muilu, head of the LVV's environmental department, said in Helsinki Times' translation.

The projects are part of a €13 billion investment Google has announced in Finnish digital infrastructure over two years, Al Jazeera reports. Google's other Finnish projects, in Vaala and Hamina, aren't covered by the order.

Why it matters for animals

A cleared forest is lost habitat for whatever lived there, and an environmental impact assessment is the step where that's supposed to be studied before the trees come down. That's the core complaint here.

The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation says more than 300 hectares of forest were cleared at the Leppiniemi site in Muhos before the assessment was done. Al Jazeera quotes the group as saying the logging included "nature sites which should be preserved." It argued that a permanent change in land use on that scale should have been assessed first. It also raised concerns about Google's Otanmäki project in Kajaani.

What each side says

Google accepts it fell short. "We did not meet the high standards we set ourselves," communications manager Sondre Ronander said, according to Helsinki Times. The company says it acted in good faith under Finland's Forest Act, carried out nature surveys and protected areas with environmental value. It says it's working on landscaping and biodiversity plans, including planting trees on 130 hectares in Muhos.

In its October 11 reply to the regulator, reported by Finnish public broadcaster Yle, Google and Tuike said they started clearing based on their own reading of the legal requirements, that the authorities knew about the work, and that any legal shortcomings went against their intentions. They said they'd contacted building control and the Finnish Forest Centre beforehand and kept the LVV informed. They also asked for guidance and written approval before doing any stabilization work needed to keep the sites safe.

What we don't know yet

The reports don't say how the LVV will respond to Google's reply, or whether any of the cleared areas were legally protected. No species or habitat surveys from the sites have been published in the coverage we read.

What happens next

The two environmental impact assessments continue, and heavy work can't restart until they're done. Both are expected to finish during 2026. The LVV hasn't said publicly what it makes of Google's explanation, and we'll report back when it does.

Sources